Patient Stories

Ginger Riddle

This is My Story

GINGER AT A GLANCE

Columbia resident

Teaches at Newberry College

Two hip joint replacements

Living pain free!

For eight years, Ginger Riddle lived with extreme pain in her hip joints. Her doctors attributed it to depression. The pain had gotten so bad Ginger gave up dancing. Even walking her dog Possum and teaching at Newberry College were physically challenging.

The turning point was a diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Hip replacement surgery was the solution. After all of the pain she’d suffered, the diagnosis was music to Ginger’s ears.

“I immediately found an orthopedic surgeon in Columbia. When I went to interview him, he didn’t look at me. He looked at my chart. I wanted more ‘beside manner’ than that,” recounts Ginger.

A colleague suggested Ginger go see an orthopedic surgeon at Palmetto Bone & Joint, a medical practice affiliated with Newberry Hospital. Although her Columbia friends thought she was “crazy” to go to Newberry for hip replacement surgery, Ginger didn’t think twice.

“I had done my research and saw that Newberry Hospital was among the top ten percent nationally for quality patient care. Their outcomes for joint replacement surgery were also very good. When I met my surgeon, I just loved him! He took his time to explain everything to me,” Ginger says.

The orthopedic surgeon said that Ginger’s case was complicated, but he could help her. Together they agreed that anterior hip replacement was the best approach. The incision would be made at the front of Ginger’s hip, rather than the side or rear. The minimally invasive approach would help her heal faster.

On the day of Ginger’s surgery, she admits feeling anxious, but the operating room (OR) staff reassured her. They kept her informed of her progress and made her feel comfortable.

“I was impressed with how responsive the doctors and nurses were; I never had to wait for anything. Everyone had a personal interest in how I was doing. Even my OR nurses visited several days after surgery to see how I was doing,” says Ginger.

Like many patients, Ginger admits she had some concern about contracting an infection. Newberry Hospital’s near zero infection rate was reassuring. “The hospital was so clean and everyone always had gloves on. They really pay attention to infection control!”

Physical therapists had Ginger up and walking in no time. Two-and-a-half weeks later, she was driving her car. The experience was so good, Ginger had her other hip joint replaced in the summer of 2011. She also plans to have a knee replaced.

“What’s exciting is to be free of the constant pain. I am on my feet teaching at Newberry College again. I am able to walk my dog Possum. And I can shag again to Carolina Girls,” Ginger says.